Last-Minute Gift Idea for Gardeners: Early-Bird Ticket to the SF Flower & Garden Show!

If you're looking for an easy-to-purchase, totally affordable gift for a Bay Area gardener, may I suggest getting him or her a ticket to the 2015 San Francisco Flower & Garden Show, running March 18 to March 22. You can get a one-day pass to the show for the early-bird price of $17.50 (regular price: $22.00). Tickets are available online or at many Bay Area nurseries.

I'm even more excited than usual about the SF Flower & Garden Show next year because I'll be speaking at the show. On March 19th I'll be doing a garden-to-table seminar about citrus with my friend, chef and culinary instructor Jennifer Altman. We'll talk about growing citrus in your home garden, preserving the fruit, and using preserved citrus in recipes. Buy your tickets now and come see us!

Chatting with Farmer Fred

I had the opportunity to talk with Farmer Fred Hoffman this morning, not once but twice! First on his "Garden Show" on KFBK and then again on "Get Growing with Farmer Fred" on KSTE. We talked first about my new book, California Month-by-Month Gardening: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year, and on the second show we talked about California Fruit & Vegetable Gardening: Plant, Grow, and Eat the Best Edibles for California Garden.

Here's the link for the podcast of the first show. My segment starts around 22:40.

And here's the link for the podcast of the second show. My segment  here starts around 20:45.

Thanks, Fred! It was a fun chat!

Here Are the Winners of the Gardener's Supply Company Giveaway!

Hope you had fun checking out the website for Gardener's Supply Company. The lucky winners--yes, there are actually 5 winners for this giveaway!--who will each receive a set of the LED pinecone lights are: Anonymous (commenter #3), Jennifer57, bluebird23, kansas_krystal, and Katrina. I'll contact each of the winners via email to arrange for shipment of the prize.

If you're still Christmas shopping, you can get free shipping on orders over $50 at Gardener's Supply Company if you place your order by midnight tomorrow night. They have lots of items that make great last-minute gifts for gardeners and garden-lovers.

Goodreads Members: Enter to Win a Free Copy of California Month-by-Month Gardening

If you're a member of Goodreads, you can enter now to win a free copy of my new book, California Month-by-Month Gardening: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year! You have until December 29th to enter. Two copies will be given away. Don't wait--enter now!

While you're at it, you can follow my Goodreads Author page to keep up on any events I'll be speaking at or radio shows I'll be on. (Hint: The first radio show is coming up this weekend!)

Welcoming a New Affiliate Sponsor and a Giveaway! Deadline Extended!

One of the cool things about having a garden blog is the opportunity to join the affiliate networks of some of the garden-related businesses that I really like. High on that list of companies is Gardener's Supply Company, a mail-order business that specializes in items for the garden as well as garden-y goodies for indoors.

I could go crazy ordering from GSC's wide range of merchandise. Want to know what's on my Christmas wish list? How about any of these canning supplies? Or a mason bee house? In another month I'm going to be wishing I had some of these great seed-starting accessories. And I'm definitely in need of a new pair of gardening gloves--the problem would be choosing which kind to get!

Click on any of the GSC ads in the sidebar at the right and have fun shopping for the garden-lovers in your life, as well as for yourself! And just to get you in the mood, GSC is giving you a chance to win a set of beautiful LED mercury-glass pinecone lights for your holiday decorations--or anytime decoration! The string of 10 lights is powered by 3 AAA batteries and casts a beautiful golden glow. The lights are intended for indoor use, but I used them* on a small tree on my front porch where it will be sheltered from the rain (and I sealed the battery pack in plastic for extra protection).

To enter the drawing, just go to the Gardener's Supply Company website and choose one item that would be on your Christmas wish list. Then come back here and leave a comment saying what you'd wish for--and don't forget to leave your email address! On noon (PDT) of Monday, December 15th, I'll randomly select one commenter who'll receive a free set of the pinecone lights (value: $29.95) from Gardener's Supply Company.

Update: I'm extending the deadline one more day! You have until Tuesday, December 16th at noon (PDT) to enter. Don't wait! 

THIS DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED.

 

Good luck!

* Gardener's Supply Company provided me with a free set of the pinecone lights as part of this promotion.

Welcome, December!

To celebrate the release of my new book, California Month-by-Month Gardening, and the long-awaited rains we're experiencing this week, I thought I'd post something from the book. Here's the introductory essay for the month of December:

 Close the year, but not the garden.

The advice you will most often hear at this time of year is about how to close the garden, implying that it's out of business or at least on hiatus. It's important, of course, to ready a garden for winter, cleaning and clearing out the dead or faded plants, covering furniture, turning off irrigation systems as the rains take over the job of watering.

But in much of California, winter never gets harsh enough to really shut down a garden. Instead the garden downshifts into neutral in December, like an engine that never turns off but idles quietly through the short days and long nights. Manzanitas and other natives burst into bloom, evergreens maintain their composure, and succulents soldier on, all cheered on by cool-season annuals in hot shades. Even in areas blanketed by snow, while the outdoor garden rests, the indoor garden moves to the fore as bulbs are forced into bloom and tender plants take up their winter residence indoors.

Gardens are not meant to be merely blue-sky endeavors. Enjoying the garden year-round should be our goal. To do that, we have to keep the gate open and the path clear so that the garden can beckon us in at every moment. Even on days that are too cold to linger outside, the garden can comfort and delight us from a window, reminding us that even on the shortest of days the rewards of a garden stretch out long before us.

So tear the last page off the calendar and make your final entries in your garden journal. Remember the sweetest-smelling blossoms, the most successful harvests, the most eye-catching plants. Note the new bed you planted that now flourishes below your window and the bare-root tree you planted last winter, now taller than you and bare of leaves once again. Take a picture to mark your progress. Then close the book on the year and take up your daydreams for next year's garden. But leave the garden open, always waiting for your footstep and the next plunge of your fingers into the soil.

 --from California Month-by-Month Gardening by Claire Splan

New Release Date for California Month by Month Gardening!

Good news! My publisher has moved up the release date on my next book, California Month by Month Gardening, to December 1st! That means there's plenty of time to get your copies in time for holiday giving.

I'm really excited about this new book! It addresses the concerns of gardeners throughout the state regarding what to plant, when to plant it, and how to grow it. The book helps you plan your garden, plant it, care for it, water it, feed it, and, when problems arise, trouble-shoot it. With hundreds of photos and plenty of step-by-step instructions, it's ideal for new and intermediate gardeners, but even experienced gardeners will find it useful as a means of managing their gardening time and tasks throughout the year.

You can pre-order copies from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or other online booksellers, or you can order a signed copy directly from me (and save $2 off the regular price).

To pre-order copies of California Month by Month Gardening (to be released December 1, 2014), click the Buy Now button:

Requested author inscription:

You can also order signed copies of my first book, California Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, directly from me (also at a discounted price). To order California Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, click the Buy Now button below:

Requested author inscription:

Canning Applesauce from the Last of the Apple Harvest

The last dozen or so apples from my Fuji apple tree found their way into some yummy applesauce today. I sort of ad-libbed the recipe this time, but the result was great.

Last night I washed, cored and quartered 12 to 14 apples and put them in my 6-quart crockpot with 1 cup of apple juice, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 1 heaping teaspoon of cinnamon. I set it on Low and let it cook, covered, for 12 hours. This morning I turned off the heat and ran the cooked apple mixture through a food mill to remove the peels. (Don't peel the apples in advance--there's pectin in the peels that helps to thicken and flavor the applesauce.) The apple mixture was a little watery at that point so I put the apple mixture back in the crockpot, set it on High, and let it cook uncovered for another hour or so to thicken up. From this, I was able to get three and a half pints of canned applesauce.

I can't wait to try this applesauce alongside a pork chop or mixed into oatmeal. For just a couple hours of hands-on work, it will totally be worth it!

Fuji Apple Butter Crockpot Recipe

This is the first year that my Fuji apple tree has had a significant harvest, especially considering that the young tree is still not quite 6 feet tall. When I had picked over three dozen apples (and still left some small ones to develop more on the tree) I decided to do some canning and began looking for some good recipes. I decided to make apple butter, because it's tasty, fat-free, and easy--only six ingredients and it can be prepared in a crockpot. This recipe is adapted from the Rival Crock-Pot Cooking book that came with my crockpot many years ago. The only thing I changed was the variety of apple used.

Old-Fashioned Apple Butter

12 - 14 apples (the book suggested Jonathan or Winesap; I used Fuji)
2 cups apple juice (I used apple cider)
Sugar
Cinnamon (ground)
Allspice 
Cloves (ground)
(The book also listed an optional ingredient--1/2 cup sauterne--which I didn't use)

In addition, you will need a large crockpot and a food mill.

I used 14 Fuji apples of varying sizes. I washed, cored, and quartered them and put them in the crockpot, which I sprayed with a light coating of oil, along with 2 cups apple cider. I covered them and cooked on Low for 10 to 18 hours. (I cooked it overnight, 18 hours).

The next morning I ran the cooked apples through a food mill to remove the peels. (You don't want to remove the peel before cooking because there is a good amount of pectin in the peel that helps thicken the apple butter.) Measure the apple mixture and return it to the crockpot. I had 10 cups of cooked apples at this point. For every 2 cups of sieved, cooked apples, add 1 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon of cloves. So, for my 10 cups of apples, I added 5 cups of sugar, 5 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 2 1/2 teaspoons each of allspice and cloves.

Stir well, cover, and cook on High for 6 to 8 hours, stirring every couple of hours. After the first 3 hours of cooking, remove the cover so the juice will evaporate more and the fruit will cook down. The mixture will become dark brown and very thick. Spoon it into hot, sterilized jars and process using standard canning methods. I used a hot water bath to process, following the instructions here.

My yield from this batch was 8 half-pints.

I still have a couple dozen more apples sitting on my counter--I think I may have to dig up some more apple recipes!

Welcome, Autumn!

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” 

― Albert Camus

Photo: MorgueFile.com

Have You Killed Your Lawn Yet?

As the drought drags on, are you finding that your brown-ish lawn is getting you down? Or are you (no judgment--well, OK, a little judgment) using enough water to slake the thirst of a small village to keep it nice and green? Maybe it's time to get rid of that big green water-hog and go lawn-less.

The folks that organize the Bringing Back the Natives Tour each year are ready to help you out with their "Mow No Mo'!" (or "How to Remove Your Lawn) workshops. These hands-on workshops will show you how to sheet-mulch your lawn into oblivion, leaving you with a clean canvas for planting a native and drought-tolerant garden. They'll also provide information on how you can get a rebate from your local water district for losing your lawn. The workshops take place on September 6 (Livermore), September 20 (Walnut Creek), and October 5 (Lafayette), from 10:00 to 3:00. You must register in advance; the cost is $30.



If you can't get to the workshops or you just want some great ideas for what to plant instead of lawn, check out Beautiful No-Mow Yards: 50 Amazing Lawn Alternatives by Evelyn Hadden or Lawn Gone!: Low-Maintenance, Sustainable, Attractive Alternatives for Your Yard by Pam Penick. Both books have lots of suggestions for appealing lawn replacements.

Think You Know Where You Stand on GMOs? Read This and Think Again.

Photo credit: Rosalee Yagihara

Just as with the issue of climate change, the subject of GMOs tends to be somewhat polarizing and there is a point where people stop looking at the facts (or never look at them to begin with) and just determine where they stand on the issue based on how much they like or dislike the messenger. I know many people who I like and respect who are are passionately anti-GMO but, in truth, a number of them don't seem to understand the issue with any depth or breadth. I certainly don't claim to have any expertise in this area--I don't have a science background and it's not easy for me to sift through some of the denser writing I've picked up on the subject.

But I became aware a few years ago when I attended the National Heirloom Exposition* that there are some speakers and writers who are putting out so-called "facts" about the dangers of GMOs that I know to be overstated, if not outright untruths. In the current issue of The New Yorker, Michael Specter takes on Vandana Shiva, an internationally followed anti-GMO activist who has been a featured speaker at the Heirloom Expo in the past. If you are concerned about GMOs and actually care about the science and how GMOs are being portrayed, both for and against, you owe it to yourself to read this article. By the end of the article I was truly outraged by the way this particular war is being waged and the number of people who have already starved to death or suffered malnutrition while the PR campaigns distort the facts. Please read the article and tell me if you're outraged too.

* I don't mean to impugn the National Heirloom Exposition or the majority of its speakers, many of which are honest, experienced and very well qualified to speak and write in their fields. On the other hand, the featured speaker for this year's Expo is Dr. Joseph Mercola, who has an entire page devoted to him at Quackwatch.org.

Choderwood: A Garden on the Allegheny

Here's a short video of one of my favorite gardens from my recent trip to Pittsburgh. Choderwood is a restored lockmaster's house on the Allegheny River that the owners have turned into a bed-and-breakfast and event venue. The gardens are lush, fun, quirky, relaxed, and inspiring. Enjoy the view!

Welcome to Randyland!

I'm back from attending the annual Garden Writers Association Symposium. This year the symposium was in Pittsburgh, PA and I never imagined that Pittsburgh would turn out to be such a fun, cool place. (Cool, that is, if you don't count the heat and humidity.) I always learn a lot at these GWA get-togethers and I also get the opportunity to tour some impressive gardens. I'll be posting more photos of garden scenes I particularly liked, but I thought today I'd post a little video of one my favorite Pittsburgh gardens--the wild and funky spot called Randyland! Enjoy! (Click the icon in the bottom-right corner to view the video in full screen.)

On Tour

I'm in Pittsburgh right now at the annual symposium of the Garden Writers Association. Aside from getting a lot of good information about blogging and other garden writing, I'm touring lots of gardens, both public and private, and taking a ton of pictures. Pittsburgh is a great town and it has some very passionate gardeners. Check back here later this week for more photos of some of the very cool gardens of Pittsburgh.

Miltonia Orchids: You Can Grow That!

I can't say that I'm obsessed with orchids, but bit by bit I'm becoming seduced by them. Cymbidiums were my confidence-builder and from there I succumbed to Phalaenopsis, then Catleya, then Dendrobium. I thought that would hold me for a while but last week when I was at the grocery store, I came to a dead stop in front of a whole table full of Miltonia orchids. I couldn't resist--the handsome specimen pictured here ended up in my cart along with the milk and paper towels.

Miltonia orchids are commonly called Pansy Orchids because some, like the one pictured here, have a flat shape and markings and coloring similar to pansies. Other Miltonias, however, have a flower with a spidery shape more like an Oncidium orchid.

In a mild climate like the Bay Area, a Miltonia would probably do well enough in a protected spot outside, but at least while it's in bloom, I'm happy to keep this Miltonia indoors. The reason? It is intensely fragrant with a heady but not overwhelming sweet scent. The blooms are typically long-lasting--usually as long as 4 to 6 weeks--but when they're done I'll move the plant out to my lathe-covered deck where some of my other orchids reside.

Miltonia orchids originate in the brightly shaded cloud forests of the mountains of Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia and if you keep that in mind, you'll know exactly what conditions you need to provide for them. They like bright indirect light and will sunburn easily if they get too much direct sun. They prefer continuous moisture but need excellent drainage and they can be sensitive to a build-up of salts from the water. They need good air circulation and humidity so some misting is a good idea. They have no dormant period so they require regular feeding (every other watering) with a half-strength balanced liquid fertilizer. Repot every 1 to 2 years after blooming.

I'm really happy I stumbled across this little orchid but honestly, if my grocery store is going to start popping up with all kinds of new orchids for me to try, I can see my grocery budget is going to go all to hell. It will, however, be worth it.

This post is part of the You Can Grow That! monthly blog series. Check here for more posts by other garden bloggers on how to grow all kinds of edibles and ornamentals.  

The Next Giveaway: Hellstrip Gardening by Evelyn J. Hadden

Until a year or so ago, I never even knew there was a term for it--that awkward, narrow patch of dirt that lies between the sidewalk and the curb. But its very awkwardness led to its naming--the "hellstrip."

When was the last time you saw a beautiful hellstrip? It's often true that even a beautifully landscaped front yard will have a hellstrip that is dull, unimaginative, poorly maintained, or worst of all, just an eyesore.

But it doesn't have to be so. Garden writer Evelyn J. Hadden has just published Hellstrip Gardening (Timber Press), offering much-needed guidance and inspiration for creating a beautiful, maintainable garden in these small, awkward, but oh-so-visible spaces.

There are two things I particularly like about Hellstrip Gardening. First, Hadden recognizes the additional challenges for hellstrip gardeners due to city restrictions and HOA covenants, not to mention city-planted trees, poor soil, car emissions, public traffic, and irrigation and drainage issues, and she addresses each in turn. Second, she provides examples of inspiring hellstrip gardens from across the country, so you can see not only a variety of styles and plant materials, but how other gardeners have tackled problems presented by their particular climate or situation. She also provides guidance for designing, building, and maintaining your hellstrip and a palette of plants to choose from.

Evelyn and Timber Press have generously offered to give one copy of Hellstrip Gardening to one of this blog's readers. To win a copy of this creative and inspiring book, leave a comment below about a challenge you've faced or a problem you've solved in gardening your hellstrip. The contest will close Monday, July 21, and one winner will be chosen at random.

UPDATED 7/25/14: This giveaway is now closed. The winner of the free copy of Hellstrip Gardening is Rusthawk.